Like millions of people around the world, Zhang Chunzi borrowed money she thought she would be able to repay. Then the new coronavirus changed everything.
Now laid off from her job at an apparel exporter in Hangzhou — one of China's most prosperous cities — the 23-year-old is missing payments on 12,000 yuan ($1,700) of debt from her credit card and an online lending platform operated by Jack Ma's Ant Financial.
"I'm late on all the bills and there's no way I can pay my debt in full," Zhang said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.